Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
June 4, 2003
Section: Sports
Edition: Final
Page: D1
PEAKING DUNBAR DELIVERS 4-O VICTORY AGAINST LCA
COACH PLEASED WITH EFFORT FROM BULLDOGS
MADISON CENTRAL BEATS WOODFORD COUNTY
Jennifer Smith, Herald-Leader Staff Writer
Like most coaches, Mike Wainscott has been waiting all season to see a complete effort from his ninth-ranked Paul Dunbar team.
While still finding subtle room for improvement last night, he couldn’t help but see a team coming together at the right time: the post-season.
“It’s encouraging,” he said after the host Bulldogs defeated Lexington Christian 4-0 to advance to the semifinals of the 11th Region tournament. “Tonight we played better defense. There were spots of good hitting.”
Spots such as leadoff hitter Brooke Marnitz getting on base all three at-bats, hitting a triple, scoring once and earning an RBI.
Spots such as Holly Barnes’ two-RBI single. Or designated hitter Lee Davis’ two runs.
Wainscott’s players are less shy about declaring they’re a group ready to go to state.
“Things are definitely coming together,” said senior Becky Napier, who had a single in the fifth. “Our younger players were all kind of scared at first, but they’re stepping up big for us.”
Barnes said it’s about confidence.
“Confidence is key,” she said. “We’ve gained that in each other this season.”
Barnes knows confidence. After striking out in her first at-bat, she got the Bulldogs on the board with her single to left, scoring Marnitz and Davis.
“After that first at-bat, I was kicking myself,” she said. “But I just calmed down and swung at it. I knew I could hit it.”
That’s confidence.
Like Dunbar’s defense going error-free. Like Barnes giving up just one hit in five innings and striking out six. Alyssa Chapman entered in the fifth and didn’t allow a baserunner.
“We wanted to get the tournament jitters out of both of them tonight,” Wainscott said.
They got the jitters out and took it out on a young Lexington Christian team.
But LCA Coach Tricia Crowe wasn’t disappointed in her team, which doesn’t lose a player.
“I’m happy,” she said. “To lose to that team just 4-0, shows courage. We hit the ball … all season the kids have gotten better. You can’t ask for more.”
But Dunbar wants more. The Bulldogs, who were knocked out of the region tournament by Madison Central last year, want to go to the state tournament.
The road runs right into three-time defending region champ No. 23 Madison Central.
After the win, Wainscott told his players to forget their five-inning 15-0 drubbing of the Indians in the regular season.
“The history hasn’t changed any,” Wainscott said. “They’re still the dominant team in the region until someone knocks them off.”
Lexington Christian 000 000 0–0 1 4
Paul Dunbar 002 200 x–4 6 0
Hambrick and Anderson. Barnes, Chapman (5) and Sharpe. 3B–Marnitz (PLD).
Records — Lexington Christian 13-6, Paul Dunbar 27-6.
Madison Central 5, Woodford County 1: The Indians took a “been there, done that” attitude to the region tournament, but they quickly remembered to get there (state), you have to do that (hit).
“We’ve been here so many times, we know what to expect,” said senior Cassie Moore, who said the defending region champs didn’t expect to go hitless through the first two innings.
But Moore helped break the ice with an RBI double to center in the fourth inning. The shot went over the center fielder’s head, and Sasha Turansky, who singled to lead off the inning, went home.
Pitcher Lindsey Coon seemed to recover, striking out the next two hitters. Then things started to unravel for the Jackets when Coon overthrew Michelle Fraser’s dribbler to the mound for a three-base error. Fraser scored two pitches later on a wild pitch.
“She hurt herself with that one,” Central Coach Larry Shearer said of Coon. “You hate to see that for her.”
But he was happy to see his team start getting some hits, three more (and two runs) in the next inning and another in the sixth.
Woodford rallied in the seventh, getting two hits and nearly loading the bases.
Shearer got a little worried.
“Their best hitter was on deck,” he said. “You sure don’t want to load the bases. We were just begging the kids to just get an out anywhere.”
Sophomore Jessica Moon got two of those outs with strikeouts. She gave up six Woodford hits in her first region tournament. She struck out six.
Moore led the offensive charge, going 2-for-3 with a double. Leah Howard and Turansky also had two hits each.
Woodford Co. 000 001 0–1 6 2
Madison Central 000 320 x–5 7 1
Lindsey Coon and Barnett. Moon and Johnson. 2B–Moore (MC).
Records — Woodford Co. 18-15, Madison Central 25-10.
11th Region softball
At Paul Dunbar
Yesterday
Madison Central 5 Woodford Co. 1
Paul Dunbar 4
Lex. Christian 0
Today
5:30 p.m. — Franklin Co. (25-13) vs. Lexington Catholic (20-13)
8 p.m. — Madison Central (25-10) vs. Paul Dunbar (27-6)
Rain delay
11th Region baseball pushed back to tonight, D3
MATT BARTON – Lexington Christian’s Kelly Barker, left, beat Paul Dunbar’s Brooke Marnitz to second base yesterday.
MATT BARTON – Dunbar’s Holly Barnes delivered a pitch against Lexington Christian last night. Barnes gave up one hit in five innings on the mound, and she helped out at the plate with a pair of RBI.
